DETROIT (WXYZ) — Starting March 1, some people commuting through downtown Detroit will be moving in an entirely different direction! The People Mover will be traveling the same 3-mile loop, but in reverse.
For 12 years it’s been giving riders a bird's eye view of downtown Detroit going clockwise. Starting March 1, it’s traveling in the opposite direction, counter clockwise, and riders are already noticing.
"Yeah, it used to go toward the Renaissance Center and now we’re going away from it," says Dave Davis who brought his grandsons along for the ride Sunday.
The city announced the change in February.
"Every three years we have to go through and look at our tracks and see where wear is," says Garry Bulluck, interim director for the Detroit People Mover.
Bulluck says there was a phantom issue that would cause the People Mover to stop in its tracks in the middle of a loop. In testing, they noticed reversing directions solved the problem. The change in travel direction is similar to rotating your tires.
"We want to make sure we can extend the life of the existing under carriage of the train and the track condition," Bulluck said.
On weekends the People Mover is busy with recreational riders, but Monday through Friday there are more people than ever using the elevated train to get to work. The change in direction could impact commute time as the first of 13 stops will now be the last, which means it make take you longer to get to work or wherever else you are going.
While the People Mover is traveling in a different direction it offers the same incredible view, now in reverse.
It's 75 cents a ride, $10 for a monthly pass and $100 for the year. Kids 5 and under ride free.
The Detroit People Mover provides maps with lists of businesses in downtown and which stop is closest to each. For more information, click here.
